TUT Nursing School honours late Chancellor, Dr Adelaide Tambo

Dr Tambo had a master's degree in nursing and had a passion for the profession. She worked tirelessly to improve the image and working conditions of nurses.

Speaking at her funeral service in Wattville, Ekurhuleni, on 10 February last year, former President Nelson Mandela said she was an exceptional person: "She exemplified and embodied all that was good and noble in our liberation struggle and in our dreams for our nation. She was a builder, not a destroyer. She brought together rather than divided. Her love for her country was all inclusive. She remained true to her calling as a nurse throughout her life as she pursued healing in personal, organisational and national relationships."

According to Professor Pieter Marais, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, bestowing this honour on the late Dr Tambo not only recognises her contribution to TUT as its first Chancellor, but also means that the University is in the process of soliciting support to establish a chair in this department, directly linking it to its new name.

“We received permission from the Tambo family to link the name of our late Chancellor to the Department of Nursing Science. The Senate also had to grant special one-off permission to the Faculty to name this department as a ‘school' of nursing science, as a token of appreciation and recognition of Dr Tambo's dedication to the profession.”